One of the "joys" of all the various Sandwich Generation issues we deal with can include dealing with bowel movement problems in both our young children or grandchildren as well as our elderly parents. Bob DeMarco of  the Alzheimer's Reading Room has written an excellent article, Alzheimer's and the Dreaded Bowel Movement,  that I wanted to make sure you got to see. At his blog, he regularly talks about his journey as a senior home care giver for his mother, as they daily deal with her dementia symptoms caused by Alzheimer's Disease. This particular article, as you may guess, talks about their struggles to help her with her bowel movement problems.

I was especially intrigued with his comment that, "In this case I married pattern of behavior, with some singing (music), and a good positive attitude. Throw in some good solid positive reinforcement and some good communication and you get a solution to a problem." Singing to my grandchildren, along with using words of encouragement, is something I love to do, especially when they are upset, in pain, or scared. I was very happy to hear that can work well when caring our elderly parents as well.

As difficult as this subject is, it is one of the many tough issues facing today's Baby Boomers Generation taking care of elderly parents, particularly those with dementia symptoms. Bob has done an excellent job discussing it in an interesting way and giving us some options that might help us as well, if that is the season of life we are dealing with.

Along those same lines, this article reminded me of a post I wrote some time back that would also be useful for those dealng with bowel movement problems, from irregular bowel movements to complete loss of bladder or bowel control. Severe adult diaper rash can often accompany those particular issues. There are some good options to help you deal with this and I wrote about it in Diaper Rash Creams Aren't All Created Equal. You'll find my grandchild's tied results for the best diaper rash cream (depending on how severe his rash is) and it can work well on a severe adult diaper rash as well. (Of course, it's always best to doublecheck any changes with your doctor first.  )

Regarding one of the great options my grandchild uses, I must add that I was quite pleased to learn from one of my Facebook and Twitter friends, Dale Carter from Transition Aging Parents, "Calmoseptine Ointment company was at Aging in America conference. I brought samples back for my colleagues here in South Bend. Sounds like an excellent product." It also sounds like they are a concerned and proactive organization which I appreciate when it comes to caring for my elderly parents and my grandchildren!

Adult incontinence and severe diaper rash aren't fun topics to write about and they're even less fun when you have to deal with them. On the other hand, if or when you, as a member of the Baby Boomers and Sandwich Generation, caring for elderly parents, have to deal with these issues, the tips from Alzheimer's Reading Room can be a big help, as will the diaper cream and ointment info here at SandwichINK.

Kaye

Diaper rash! It’s the bane of a child’s existence not to mention the parents and grandparents who love him. Most of the time it is pretty easy to deal with. Change her often, use a good ointment or cream for diaper rash, and soon it’s all gone. But what happens if it doesn’t go away. What happens if it gets worse? For that matter, what happens if it’s not a child?

For those of us dealing with a wide variety of the Sandwich Generation issues, it could even be a problem for both our elderly parents suffering from adult diaper rash, as well as our grandchildren! But fear not, fellow travelers, there are some great options out there. When one of my grandchildren with health issues had severe problems with diaper rash, we tried everything trying to find the best diaper rash cream or ointment. We tried my favorite, Desitin (I prefer the original ointment, not the cream). It may be messy but it works wonderfully – most of the time. But not this time.

We tried A&D Ointment. Again, it works often, but not this time. We even tried Bag Balm Ointment. While we have many friends who swear by this, it didn’t help our situation. Finally, a wonderful doctor suggested Boudreaux Butt Paste. I have to be honest. I wasn’t crazy about the name! But the stuff works. It works GREAT! It isn’t cheap. But it is well worth the cost and I have to admit, it smells better than my favorite, Desitin. Target often carries it in the big tub. Walmart usually has it in a tiny tube. And Amazon carries several sizes including the Boudreaux Butt Paste in the 16 oz. Jar. This particular size does not always qualify for a discount from the Amazon Prime Membership, but it's the handiest size around the house, so to me it's well worth it.  (Before you try this or the next item, however, you should check with your doctor regarding such a severe rash. In all cases, our doctors recommended these products to us.) 

If all these fail and the rash is getting worse, I would definitely call the doctor again. When you do, you might also ask them about Calmoseptine Ointment (though to me, it's more of a cream). I only recommend it if nothing else works and the doctor approves. I put some on one time to test it, and it reminded me of putting Bengay on my achy joints. It stayed warm and weird all night long! After that, I totally understood why my grandchild wasn’t fond of it, but it did help A LOT! When he has a very severe rash, he definitely likes it much better!

The nice thing about all these products is that they are not age specific. In other words, all of us Sandwich Generation senior home care givers can use it for those elderly relatives who might have problems from incontinence or other issues. For that matter, they can also be useful as a gentle, yet effective, external hemorrhoid home treatment. Again, PLEASE doublecheck with your doctor, as there may be other issues involved as well! 

One other tip for all ages. We know that it’s vital to clean the area totally each time. Sometimes this is difficult due to the matter sticking to the skin, or being gritty and sticky. It might not want to come off, or if it does, it causes our loved one, whether a grandchild or an elderly parent, quite a bit of pain. I’ve found that if it is sticking even when using diaper wipes or wet cloths, you can use whatever ointment or cream you have available to help with the cleaning. Just put a little amount of the diaper ointment or cream on the skin, take a soft damp cloth or diaper wipe, and spread the ointment or cream around a bit. Then wipe gently and the cream or ointment will help clean the area much easier with less pain. When all is clean, apply more of the diaper ointment or cream. Then take a big sigh of relief as you and your loved one both feel much better.

Kaye